I am asked by people all of the time “What is new that I will like?” and I am always surprised that those same people have missed at least 99 percent of the other great pieces of entertainment because of all the noise coming from other places. Here we are in the age where all the movies and shows we could ever want are right at our fingertips with services like Netflix and Amazon Video. You do not have to pay the full new release prices either if you take some time to catch up on things that did not get your attention the first go around.
So today I just wanted to talk about five movies from the recent past that you might have missed when they were first released. All very different from the other, and I found them all extremely entertaining when I first saw them. Most of this list you can find free or for less than a dollar to watch so what is stopping you?
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, Patton Oswalt, and Jon Daly really surprised me, and you will be too. From the way they are selling this it all looks like make believe, and the crazy dreams of a man lost in his own fantasy world in which he is a superhero, or macho man, I was worried that this was going to be like Bedazzled, just puffy little disconnected scenes. That is not what this movie is. The first 10-15 minutes yeah that is exactly what you get, and that really had me worried for what was to come. There is a tipping point for Mitty though. Ben Stiller is just so great at being real and making Mitty take the leaps of faith that he needs to in order to really earn the life that he has always wanted. Kristen Wiig is very subtle, and just the right sort of inspiration that the movie needed, there is no sign of Lola Bunny, just a mom that Mitty dreams could love him. Well I enjoyed this movie so much more than I was expecting to even Shirley MacLaine is as sweet as her amazing cake. I recommend this movie for anyone, from anywhere who would like to stand up, or just step out once in awhile. Go for it! A PG family experience with some adult content, and themes.
The Human Race (2013)
From the mind of Paul Hough is a very unique story that takes you to some new places. So if you like the Saw movies the Descent films or even Death Race, well it’s all there as well as a lot of other great stuff that you have never seen before. This is such a great movie for the 50 Dollars that it must have cost to make, surprisingly it really looks like a movie you should be paying to see. The story is fantastic, logical, and flows very well. Starring Eddie McGee, Trista Robinson, Paul McCarthy-Boyington, and Richard Gale as a cast of characters who are just as lost as you are as the story begins. The flashbacks are used to get us quickly into these characters lives, and minds. There are other movies that this reminds me of, but telling you would really spoil the ending that is worth the cost of admission in itself. I enjoyed the action, the overall pacing, the drama, the story, and the direction was excellent. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a bit of murder with a sci-fi twist. But there is so much more here than you will be expecting. R rating for adult content and lots of graphic scenes that definitely make this one just for the more mature viewers.
The Right Kind of Wrong (2013)
Here we have an excellent romantic comedy filmed in Canada and I really mean excellent. Starring Ryan Kwanten, Sara Canning, Kristen Hager, Ryan McPartlin, Catherine O’Hara, Will Sasso, James A. Woods, Jennifer Baxter, Christopher Russell, Barb Mitchell, Anna Quick, Andrea Stefancikova, Rachelle Normandin, Kearstin Plemel, and Aadila Dosani. Ryan Kwanten is a great Australian actor, (though he does let his accent slip a couple of times, that most people won’t even notice) he is really funny, and very good at the physical comedy and he uses those skills very well in this movie. Will Sasso Is kind of blowing up right now, and I am glad to see it as he has been paying his dues for a long time. The story is more in the style that a guy can deal with watching if he is forced to. Full of pratfalls, and lots of great characters that get developed really well over the course of the movie. I had a good laugh, and really enjoyed this movie, so there is no reason that I would not recommend it. You have to be warned that there is some really Canadian style adult humour though. Not a family movie unless you have that kind of family. Great Date movie though, or just for you. Rated R for the language, and some scenes of nudity.
The To Do List (2013)
Funny! This whole movie is just too much information of the best kind. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Rachel Bilson, Bill Hader, Scott Porter, Alia Shawkat, Connie Britton, Andy Samberg, Johnny Simmons, Clark Gregg, Donald Glover, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Sarah Steele, Adam Pally, Nolan Gould, Betsy Sodaro, and Bryce Clyde Jenkins. From top to bottom this is handled very well. Like what the Joy of sex was attempting to do back in the real time that this movie is set in. Plaza is such a great actor, you can almost believe she is still a teen. There are great cameos by actors that you are very familiar with like Clark Gregg or Andy Samberg, and the rest of the players are all very memorable, as this movie could be. You have another Super Bad or American Pie here. The first half of the movie is so 90210, then the last half goes off the rails only to be better than it was. Full of the music you love, and expect from movies like this. Your jaw will drop at least once, but I’m betting more. Just sit back, get ready to laugh a lot, and Enjoy. Very Adult humour like an eighties teen romp so expect to be shocked. So of course this is rated R.
The Family (2013/I)
Lastly and just as much a very good movie that may have slipped past you. Starring Robert De Niro, Dianna Agron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, John D’Leo, David Belle, Jon Freda, Paul Borghese, Domenick Lombardozzi, Anthony Desio, Vincent Pastore, Ted Arcidi, Oisin Stack, Jimmy Palumbo, Stan Carp, Joseph Perrino, Tonio Descanvelle, Mike Bocchetti, and Ricardo Cordero. The main story is fantastic, and The Family themselves are each so very talented and fun. The way this family just moves into a new town and assimilates is hysterical. The best points in this were when you would have one talented actor up against another directly. You see such skill in these actors from the comedy to the fight scenes there is no loss of character. There are a lot of surprises in this movie, and some really good jokes at De Niro’s expense which will never get old. I Enjoyed this one quite a bit, and found that there was a full satisfying story with a few of the greatest actors of all time together, and some other great talents stepping up to play. This one is rated R for the violence, and all the language you would expect from De Niro, and some nudity.
So give one or all of these a try then let me know how much you enjoyed them, or how wrong I was by commenting below. There are so many great options out there that you don’t need to pay full new release prices unless you just can’t live without that new Marvel or other movie (you will just have forgotten about in a week) under your belt.
